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TECHNOLOGY Saturday 3 december 2016
Binge watching on Netflix no longer requires internet access

MICHAEL LIEDTKE its biggest rivals, Amazon. publicly said it hopes to
AP Technology Writer com, has been offering to introduce a downloading
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — its video subscribers for the feature.
Netflix subscribers can now past year. It’s something Netflix subscribers wishing
binge on many of their that also has been avail- to download a video on
favorite shows and mov- able on YouTube’s popular their smartphone or tablet
ies even when they don’t video site, though a sub- need to update the app
have an internet connec- scription is required in the on their Apple or Android
tion. U.S. and other countries device. Not all of the se-
The long-awaited of- where the site sells its “Red” lections in Netflix’s video
fline option announced premium service. library can be download-
Wednesday gives Netflix’s The new feature puts Net- ed, although several of
87 million subscribers offline flix a step ahead of two the service’s most popular
access to videos for the first other major rivals. Offline shows, including “Orange
time in the streaming ser- options aren’t available on Is The New Black,” ‘’House
vice’s decade-long history. HBO’s internet-only pack- of Cards,” and “Stranger
Netflix is matching a down- age, HBO Now, or Hulu, Things,” are now available In this Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, file photo, a person displays Netflix
loading feature that one of although that service has to watch offline. on a tablet in North Andover, Mass.
Associated Press
FCC: AT&T, Verizon Downloadable movies scriptions to watch a show with 39 million subscribers
include “Spotlight,” this
shouldn’t exempt own year’s Oscar winner for or movie when traveling on outside of the U.S.
best film. Notably missing
a train, plane or car where The offline option may ac-
apps from data caps from the downloadable internet connections are celerate the decline of
menu are movies and TV
spotty or completely un-
Netflix’s steadily shrinking
shows made by Walt Dis-
ney Co. Those still require available. DVD-by-mail service, which
Earlier this year, Hastings fi-
offers the ability to watch
an internet connection to nally indicated he might re- video without an internet
watch on Netflix. lent and introduce down- connection. Netflix’s DVD
The Los Gatos, California, loading. The change of side still has one distinct
company is promising to heart coincided with Net- advantage — access to
continue to adding more flix’s expansion into more recent theatrical releases
titles to its offline roster. than 130 countries, includ- before they are available
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ing many areas with shod- for streaming.
had long resisted calls for dy or expensive internet Netflix’s DVD service ended
an offline-viewing option, connections that make the September with 4.3 million
much to the frustration of ability to watch video of- subscribers, a decrease of
customers who wanted fline even more appealing. nearly 10 million customers
In this July 25, 2016 file photo signage is seen in a Verizon store, flexibility to use their sub- Netflix ended September during the past five years.q
in North Andover, Mass. Associated Press

TALI ARBEL owned by the carriers.
AP Technology Writer AT&T said Friday that ex-
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. reg- empting things like its new
ulators are calling out AT&T DirecTV Now online TV app
and Verizon for exempting from data caps saves cus-
their own video apps from tomers money, and the
data caps on customers’ FCC shouldn’t put a stop to
cellphones. that. Verizon said its prac-
The Federal Communica- tices are good for consum-
tions Commission sent let- ers and comply with regu-
ters to the country’s biggest lations.
wireless carriers Thursday The warnings come in the
saying the way they han- final days of the FCC under
dle the practice, known the Obama administration,
as “zero rating,” can hurt which has enacted regula-
competition and con- tions intended to prevent
sumers. The agency had cable companies from
warned AT&T in November playing favorites with inter-
and said in its Thursday let- net services.
ter that AT&T’s response did But the agency lead-
not ease its concerns. ers appointed by Donald
Other services — say Hulu Trump, the incoming presi-
or Netflix — can pay Ve- dent, along with a Repub-
rizon and AT&T so that lican-controlled Congress,
consumers could also use are expected to roll back
those apps without eating or enforce more lenient-
up cellphone data. The ly such measures.
FCC says that could harm The FCC still has to make
the market for streaming a final finding on whether
services as it makes it more the zero-rating practices
expensive for internet com- of AT&T and Verizon are a
panies to compete with problem. The companies
video services that are could appeal that.q